Chapter 81
Grassland
Wu Zhi's expression changed, and he searched the room for his servant. Did the Mongolian army attack the city? He hadn't received any news yet.
"Bring them in." After Wu Tao gave the order, her men brought in two people who were tied up and gagged.
She arranged for the people who were in Tianma Town to inquire about Wu Zhi's news and the people who were left there by Wu Zhi to report to him, all of them rushed back to report the news as soon as the Mongolian army attacked the city. Her people were at the back and captured Wu Zhi's people first. After Wu Tao interrogated them, he tied up Wu Zhi's servant.
The two zombies kneeling in the room with drooping shoulders are these two people.
Wu Tao pressed the issue, "Zhi'er, are you hiding the truth or are you collaborating with the enemy and betraying your country?"
"Aunt! I—" Wu Zhi didn't even bother to cry out in pain, and hurriedly distanced himself from the matter. "I overheard it while staying at the inn. I didn't collaborate with the enemy, it had nothing to do with me! Aunt, you have to believe me!"
"Since you knew about the deception plan beforehand," the cold blade touched his face, "did you deliberately lead Mu Yun there?"
Wu Zhi straightened his neck and said angrily, "That's right. I deliberately lured him over. He's brutally harmed me to this point, so what if I'm using him as a tool to kill him?"
"You also set up a killing plan?"
"You have to be absolutely sure."
"When you returned from Tianma Town, you had already set the stage. You were the one who murdered him first, and he injured you later." Wu Tao recalled how she handled the matter. She was so angry that she nearly lost her mind, thinking of Wu Zhi's constant cries of injustice. "He broke your leg, and it was a good thing he broke it. You didn't deserve it, not at all!"
"Aunt, why are you speaking for outsiders?" Wu Zhi felt guilty and furious. "I am your biological nephew. He doesn't have the blood of the Wu family. If you don't want to avenge me, then fine. What's wrong with me doing it myself?"
Wu Tao's eyes were full of hatred. He waved his hand and the blade broke and blood came out.
Wu Zhi hurriedly covered his neck, completely terrified.
Wu Tao withdrew his knife: "From now on, you are no longer a member of the Wu family."
The big knife hit the ground, making a loud clanging sound.
Wu Zhi's face turned pale, he couldn't believe it.
Wu Tao shouted, "Get out! Get out now!"
This time, the Mongols attacked two border towns, one at Tianma Town and the other a hundred miles north. Ever since the fallout between the Oirat and the Xuan court, the Xuan court had imposed a strict economic blockade. For over a decade, the Mongols had repeatedly harassed the northeastern defenses along the Great Wall through invasions and plunder.
Now the northwest has also been attacked.
The Mongolian soldiers came at midnight and left at dawn. They came and left quickly, and they stole a lot of spoils.
Prince Jing was ordered to garrison Yanbei. This time they invaded Tianma Town and were about a hundred miles away from Yunzhou City. Unexpectedly, they had the courage to launch a sneak attack on the border closest to Yunzhou City. After receiving the news, Prince Jing summoned his staff to discuss countermeasures.
When Cheng Xi regained consciousness, she was riding in a bumpy carriage.
The carriage had just left the territory of Yan Dynasty and entered the Mongolian area south of the desert.
Her hands and legs were tied and she was thrown onto the cart like cargo, with a pile of sacks of grain beneath her.
The carriage window was uncovered, and she leaned out as far as she could to look.
It was just dawn, and the sky in the distance was gray. As far as the eye could see, there were captives strung together, one after another, with Mongolian soldiers riding on their horses and whipping them.
The wind on the desolate wasteland was cold and turbulent, and the horses' hooves kicked up dust and a trail of dust.
This territory is not a fertile area.
Xiaoliu! Cheng Mu was suddenly shocked. Xiaoliu was not by her side!
"Shangguan Duan! Shangguan Duan!" she screamed.
"Behave yourself!" A whip came and hit the wall of the car, and Cheng Mu froze.
Shangguan Duan is treacherous! Cheng Mu was extremely angry. Before she could finish her words, she was attacked. He has no martial ethics! No business ethics! So immoral!
After knocking her unconscious and tying her up, where did they take Xiaoliu?
The carriage was bumpy and slow, and I swayed for a whole day, feeling hungry and dizzy.
After stopping, someone finally came to untie Cheng Mu.
"Where is Shangguan Duan? I want to see Shangguan Duan!"
The Mongolian soldier asked her in the not-so-fluent Central Plains dialect if she could ride a horse. Although her whole body was sore, she could endure it whether she was meeting Xiaoliu or Shangguan Duan.
Cheng Mu jumped on her horse and signaled the Mongolian soldiers to lead the way.
After riding for more than an hour, they saw a camp in the distance.
It was already dark, but the moon was like a silver plate, shining brightly, and everything around was clearly visible.
The Mongolian soldiers took her into a big tent and asked her to wait.
The tent door closed, and Cheng Mu was alone inside the tent. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
The tent was simply furnished with a felt carpet on the floor, and it was obviously a temporary place.
Her heart was still in a knot. After riding for so long, she had given up hope of seeing Xiaoliu or Shangguan Duan. After all, they had set out from Tianma Town together, so how could they be so far away from each other?
I don’t know what is waiting for her.
After waiting for almost a cup of tea, the sound of conversation was heard outside the tent door. Cheng Xi stepped back, as there was no shelter inside the tent. The tent door was opened, and a sturdy man stepped in first.
Cheng Xi retreated again and again.
This man was carrying a bow and arrow, had an eagle nose and deep eyes, and stared at Cheng Mu with a gaze like he was looking at prey, which made her feel extremely uneasy.
A man followed closely behind him. He was wearing black leather boots and holding a scimitar. He was thin and looked like a man from the Central Plains.
A closer look revealed a strange familiarity to his handsome features. It wasn't until his eyebrows rose that Cheng Mu suddenly recalled the feeling of having his fingers strangle her neck.
It's him.
"He" asked the people outside the tent, "Is there any food?"
The Mongolian soldiers guarding outside the tent left as ordered. The two men who entered the tent found a place to sit down, took off their weapons, and mumbled in Mongolian, as if Cheng Mu, a living person, did not exist.
The soldiers brought in meaty food, and the two men devoured it with big mouthfuls, drank wine with big gulps, and talked with great interest.
When they had almost finished eating, the handsome young man turned to Cheng Mu, frowned, and asked, "Are you going to offer food?"
It wasn't an offering, it was buying his life with food. Just as Cheng Mu was considering what to say, he heard him ask, "How much food do you have?"
Cheng Mu said calmly, "We have hundreds of acres of farmland at home, and the yield is quite good, so we have plenty of surplus grain."
"Where is home?"
"Forty miles east of Tianma Town."
The young man started talking to the other person in a gibberish manner. Cheng Mu could only understand a little bit. Combining the previous and the next, she could guess the general idea.
This time they raided Wangcheng, Kewei Town and Tianma Town. Now that she reminded them of this, they regretted not robbing the wealthy families in the countryside.
Wangcheng is north of Kewei Town, and Kewei Town is two or three hundred miles north of Tianma Town. Only then did she realize that this attack was launched from multiple points at the same time.
Yanbei was probably in chaos at this time.
This was a test for Prince Jing, who had just taken office. I wonder if he knew that his opponent was none other than the second young master, Xu Huan, whom they had been searching for many years.
After his father Xu Rong's rebellion failed, Xu Huan escaped the severe pursuit of the Yanbei Army and fled to the Mongolian side south of the desert.
That’s right, only by hiding outside the range of Emperor Tianding can one live safely until now.
After Xu Shao proclaimed himself emperor, he became a general of the Mongolian desert. Since the Yan Xiang court, who had conspired with him, could not kill Xu Shao, he had no choice but to make efforts on the side of the Liao Kingdom.
The drunk man had a pair of light golden eyes. The corners of his mouth were tilted, and his aggressive gaze made Cheng Mu shudder.
"Beauty, even a man as majestic as an eagle on the grassland can cherish a woman. Tonight, you can follow me back to the tent and have a good rest."
"Amuta," Xu Huan reminded, "She has food."
"Bring food so I can marry her."
Cheng Mu's face was tense. "Master Huan, I have already agreed with Shangguan Duan to exchange food for my daughter and me. As long as you let us go home, I will give you all the food and money in my house."
Xu Huan's face darkened and his eyes were fierce.
He spoke a few more words to Amuta, who wiped his mouth, stood up with a big laugh, and before leaving, he looked deeply at Cheng Mi.
Xu Huan walked towards Cheng Mu, knife in hand, "Do you know me?"
Omitting her original body's connection with him, Cheng Mu simply replied, "I once met Prince Huan."
"oh?"
"In Puyang City, late at night, fried noodles." He seemed to have forgotten, and Cheng Mu reminded him of a few key places.
Xu Huan quickly remembered and looked Cheng Mu up and down, his eyes fixed on her waist for a moment, "The old house of that scapegoat."
scapegoat.
At that time, she guessed that he found Li Xiucai's old house in order to make contact and have Li Xiucai send him out of Yanbei. So, was Li Xiucai the scapegoat he chose?
Over the years, Li Xiucai has not been seen alive or dead.
"After Prince Huan left, the Yanbei army surrounded my house and questioned me thoroughly. It was only later that I learned that the man that night was Prince Huan. Because I was suspected of harboring a fugitive, my neighbors, fearing they would be implicated, cursed me daily and threw rotten fish and shrimp at my door. Puyang City was no longer suitable for me, so I followed someone to settle in the countryside. Because I was good at farming, I improved the soil quality, and the yields increased. Gradually, I bought over a hundred acres of land."
There is no need to talk about the things like donating grain to help the person he hated ascend the throne.
True and false, with every detail.
Xu Huan's expression was unpredictable, his emotions indistinguishable. "So, you've been implicated by me. Knowing it was me, you still offered grain?"
"I am just an ordinary person with children, a house and land. As long as I can make a living, the affairs of the country have nothing to do with me."
Xu Huan plays with his knife.
"Amuta is the most outstanding Khan of the Ordos tribe. He has taken a liking to you. If you want to enjoy the honor, I can help you."
"I appreciate your kindness, Prince Huan. I already have a son, a daughter, and a husband."
"What a pity." Xu Huan said in a gloomy tone.
As soon as he finished speaking, a man opened the tent and walked in, "Mr. Xu, I've been waiting for a long time." Who else could this person be but Shangguan Duan?
Cheng Mu frowned, took a few steps forward, and asked, "Master Shangguan, where is my daughter?"
Xu Huan sheathed his scimitar and sipped his tea slowly. Shangguan Duan sat down with his large golden sword, glanced at Cheng Mu, and said to Xu Huan, "When Xu Shao led his troops to besiege the capital, this woman donated a thousand dan of grain and was awarded an imperial decree."
Xu Huan sneered repeatedly, "Emperor Tianding is good at winning people's hearts. Is a thousand stones worth his show?"
"She is very good at breeding." Shangguan Duan had found out everything about Cheng Mu's life in Zhaojia Village and told them one by one.
Xu Huan also thought of the big and sweet grapes he had eaten at her place, which were of a better quality than what he had ever tasted even when he was at Prince Yanyun's Palace.
Unexpectedly, I brought back a wonderful person.
They also talked about declining grain production and grassland degradation.
When Cheng Mu heard what they said, she naturally combined it with what she and Huang Nian'an had speculated and verified some time ago. The arrival of the Little Ice Age was unstoppable, and its impact extended from south to north and from east to west.
The Central Plains has suffered frequent disasters in recent years and has experienced changes of dynasties. The Mongolian side is also not peaceful. After the Tatars and the Oirat, it split into three parts: the south, north and west of the desert. The Later Jin Dynasty separated Liaodong and is still in civil war. No one has the ability to change the dynasty. The so-called super descendants of the Yuan Khan no longer exist.
Everything was caused by natural disasters and the absurdity of the royal court.
All major events in the world are the same.
After the two of them had finished their conversation, they had decided on how to deal with Cheng Mu.
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